I’ll Take a Cloud…or Two

This day a year ago I was all caught up in gratitude for the rain, cooler temperatures and the Fall season that was in the air. I spent the day getting my Fall décor out and turning my home into a place of pumpkin spice aromas and colors of oranges, yellows and browns. But, not this year. It seems Summer doesn’t want to give way just yet! So, as in the title of this blog – I’ll take a cloud or two that gets this Fall party started.

But, actually, I’m not moving in that direction with this post. I’m thinking of the “cloud” that went ahead of the Israelite wilderness wanderers. “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way …” (Exodus 13:21). I’m big on putting my faith and trust in the Unseen God. But, there are just some days when a cloud or two would be awesome in pointing the way for me. Perhaps you’re like me and you could sure use some reinforcement on some difficult decisions you and your family are making. I spend a lot of time searching for supportive Scriptures and always hope to glean a definitive, holy answer to my questions. I stay alert for any trace of God speaking. I want to hear His voice loud and clear. I look for patterns in things I read or heard. And, continually, I seek precise affirmation in the choices I am leaning toward.

It’s easy during those times of waiting, seeking, and knocking for our thoughts to run rampant. “What if I make a wrong decision? What if I thought I heard God’s voice, but instead it was just my own emotions or feelings controlling my thoughts? Is it too much to ask for a blinking neon arrow dropped down from Heaven to point the way?”

Instead of allowing frustration and angst to overwhelm us, maybe it’s time to chill – relax and stop trying to figure everything out. Maybe the better thing is to stop looking and listening for a blaring answer from God – and to simply ease into a place of “coming into His presence with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise” (Psalm 95:2) – to simply sit at His feet and indulge ourselves in Him. Praying for wisdom, clarity and guidance about how to move forward. Praying for peace and hope to fill our hearts and minds — leaving no room for confusion and negative thoughts. Praying that decision-making would be an extension of our faith, not an exhaustion of our efforts.

That "cloud" phenomenon guided the Israelites during the daytime. We could sure use a holy cloud to guide us, Lord! But, instead of a cloud, we have cloudy minds and we worry we’ll make wrong decisions or we can’t even make a decision at all. We also feel lost in the wilderness, If they would have trusted more and complained less, the direct path would have been only an eleven-days journey instead of their 40-years journey. Hearing that makes my thoughts become less cloudy and I rest in knowing God is our guide. If we walk down the right path, God is there with us. If we take a wrong turn, He is still there, redirecting us, guiding us and leading us out of the wilderness. In fact, He may take us down the most difficult journey, with full intention of growing our faith along the way.

We may not have a cloud we can see with our eyes, but we can trust God is always leading the way. God may lead us into the wilderness, and He may even guide us there to camp for a while, but He will never leave us there. Regardless of the decisions we make, we’ll never be on any path alone.

Psalm 119:105, “Your word is a lamp to guide my feet and a light for my path.”

Our Master-Planned, Changeable Lives

I’m seeing commercials and promos that talk about pumpkin spice candles and coffee, falling in love with fall and promos about the exciting new fall clothes colors. It hit me. Fall has literally sprung up on us. School is back in session and college teams' fans are out in numbers as they sport their favorite team shirts and colors. Soon the leaves will be changing colors. I’ve changed out some of my summer wardrobe for my fall/winter ones – even though we’re still having scorching hot summer days. I also took down my spring/fall home décor. Bring on fall -- my favorite time of the year! I'm ready for change!

I get amused at the FB posts bearing photos of their little ones and mamas crying out to their children: “Stop growing so fast. Don’t get any older!” I know they really don’t mean those words because how awful would it be for our children to stop growing and not getting older but staying as their little baby selves! But I get those mamas, because they are witnessing “time flying” right before their eyes.

In Ecclesiastes 3:1, King Solomon wrote, “There is a time for everything, and everything on earth has its special season.” Many of us would be much more comfortable if everything stayed the same; yet it doesn’t. Everything has its seasons. Though we may like the seasons changing in nature, we may get frightened about the seasons changing in our lives. We grip so tightly to the present that it becomes traumatic when things change. Change can be difficult, but not so if we know God’s divine purposes are being fulfilled. God does have a purpose and a season for everything and right now each of us is in one of His seasons. It’s not about the seasons changing. It's about seeing God in the seasons.

Master Planned Communities are everywhere. The developer master-plans a clubhouse, pool, the number of homes, streets, curbs and amenities. I live in one like that. Well, we have the Master Developer and Planner...who is perfectly Master-planning our lives, the seasons we go through. He plans them with our ultimate success in mind. Isn't it time we relax and enjoy each season of our lives.....both in the climate, and in the transitions we go through? And, for goodness sake, mamas and papas, STOP wishing your babies to stop growing. It’s a part of the Master’s Plan to grow them into strong, self-sufficient and God-sufficient human beings that will change our world for good. Trust the Man with the Plan for your good!

Welcome, Fall. Welcome, Change

Sandwiched between blazing summer and chilly winter, fall is the "cooling off" season. The rain brought CHANGE to us quickly here in Frisco. When I arrived back home from a quick trip to Austin, my home was so chilly that I put the fireplace on. My kids came over and smelled the “pumpkin spice” aroma that is in my air freshener and pumpkin spice coffee was ready to brew. Soon, the leaves will be changing colors. Last month, it changed on the inside of my home. My little fall vignettes are pictured here.

I've always loved decorating my home with seasonal changes. September isn’t too soon for me to decorate my home with harvest and fall decor'. Most of all, I love the heart of gratitude that naturally comes with it. And, wonderful things happen when we are grateful. It not only brings honor to God when we speak of His goodness, but our faith seems to soar to new heights because that attitude of gratitude opens shut doors and brings joy into the open windows of our souls.

With leaves changing colors, changing our home's decor', changing the a/c to heat, changing our summer to fall wardrobe, we know that change is inevitable. It's not only about accepting the changes, but I say triumphantly, “BRING IT ON!” We all experience changes and I’ve found that accepting those changes with gratitude makes the changes bearable. Like the birds I see flying South for the winter, my sweet grandchildren, Braden and Ruth, are changing their “habitats” with their move to Austin on October 24th. Thanks, God! I know You orchestrated that one. Their home in Atlanta sold in less than three days on the market. Ruth’s application for a NICU nursing position in Austin was not only immediately accepted, but she received a substantial pay increase, The first home they saw was perfect and they’ll be moving in without any delay. And, to top it off, Ruth’s “triplet” sister lives within five minutes of their home. Yes, thanks, God! You showed off on this one!

Sometimes “change” is wonderful, and sometimes “change” isn’t so easy. In fact, it can be downright painful. When my husband graduated to heaven, my status changed from "married" to "widow". I've learned that we should expect changes because it's that part of life that we CAN'T change. Change is inevitable, so why not begin to accept the changes with the grace that God gives us, and be thankful that He will carry us through those changes -- to an even better place of destiny and purpose?

Maybe we should begin our change from dissatisfaction and opposition to change, to the willingness to accept change. What if this month of October we started a NEW season of gratitude and thanksgiving? I don't know what tomorrow and its changes will hold for me, but I know I'm sensing God camping out with me in this atmosphere of thanksgiving. Once again, I hear Him saying "Trust Me. I've got this....in every CHANGE of life."